ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga ministry on Monday said the planned withdrawal of US-led coalition forces without a defense system is a “cause for concern,” as the Region continues to face missile and drone attacks.

“The United States leaving the Kurdistan Region behind in such a complex regional situation, without providing any defense system, is a cause for concern,” the Peshmerga ministry said in a statement.

The US-led coalition is scheduled to complete its withdrawal from all Iraqi territory by September 30 under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington. The withdrawal comes after years of cooperation between the coalition and Iraqi and Kurdistan Region forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).

The Peshmerga ministry said the Iraqi federal government is “primarily” responsible for protecting the Kurdistan Region’s airspace, while expressing gratitude to the US and its allies for “the cooperation and support they have provided to the Kurdistan Region and the Peshmerga forces in the past.”

The ministry also said the Peshmerga can “adapt to any unwanted situation and confront threats.”

The Kurdistan Region has also been seeking to strengthen its own air-defense capabilities as it faces repeated missile and drone attacks. Kurdish officials have repeatedly called for advanced systems to protect the Region’s airspace and critical infrastructure. Baghdad, meanwhile, has also moved to accelerate efforts to build national air-defense capabilities, with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordering the modernization timeframe to be shortened from six years to three. 

Iraq is pursuing air-defense systems from foreign partners, including France, Turkey and South Korea, as it prepares to assume greater responsibility for defending its airspace after the coalition withdrawal.

The ministry added that the Kurdistan Region has “a broad constitutional and security relationship” with the Iraqi army and will continue coordinating with federal forces through joint work.

The warning comes as the Kurdistan Region has been subjected to more than 1,000 missile and drone attacks since the US-Iran war began in late February, with strikes attributed to Iran and Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups.

The attacks have targeted Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Region, as well as civilian areas, energy infrastructure and Peshmerga positions. Several Peshmerga fighters have been killed in the strikes.

The Region has declared itself neutral in the wider regional conflict and said its territory would not be allowed to be used as a launchpad for threats against Iran or any other neighboring country. Kurdish authorities have repeatedly condemned the attacks and called on Baghdad to prevent further strikes and hold those responsible accountable.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also raised concerns over the coalition’s withdrawal in an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, warning that it was coming at a particularly volatile time.

“The threat is real — we are vulnerable, we are being attacked,” the premier was quoted as saying by the London-based outlet.

The latest attack came early Monday when three drones targeted Azadi camp in Erbil’s Koya district, which allegedly houses Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and their families, despite officials saying that it had been evacuated due to repeated Iranian attacks. 

The Kurdistan Region’s energy infrastructure has also repeatedly come under attack, disrupting oil and gas production and, in some cases, electricity supplies. Khor Mor, the Region’s main gas field and a key source of fuel for its power stations, has been targeted repeatedly, with the latest security incident in November prompting Dana Gas to shut down its main production facilities and slashing the Region's total power generation capacity by roughly 80 percent. Other major oil fields, including Khurmala, Sarsang, Peshkhabur, Tawke and Sheikhan, have also been targeted, with coordinated strikes previously reducing regional oil production.

The security concerns also come as Baghdad simultaneously seeks to bring Iran-backed armed factions under state control.

Zaidi’s government initially set September 30 as the deadline for armed groups to hand over their weapons to the state, coinciding with the planned coalition withdrawal. Several pro-Iran factions rejected the notion, saying they would not surrender their weapons.

Zaidi has since shifted to a phased process extending into 2027. Under the plan, armed factions would first observe a 90-day period without attacks, with guarantees that they would not be targeted by US strikes, before moving toward the gradual handover of weapons and integration of fighters into state institutions.